Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran hunts crew member of crashed U.S. jet after one reported rescued

Follow The Hindu LIVE for the latest updates on the Iran-Israel war amid the escalating conflict in West Asia on April 4, 2026.

Iran launched a hunt for the U.S. crew whose jet Iranian media said had been shot down by the Islamic republic’s air defence systems on Friday (April 3, 2026), deploying troops and offering a bounty. U.S. media reported U.S. special forces had rescued one of the two crew members, and a local official television station in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province aired footage of what it said was wreckage of the downed plane.

Also read: White House seeks $1.5 trillion defence budget as Iran war drives costs

Dozens of international law experts in the U.S. have signed an open ‌letter saying that American strikes on Iran may amount to war crimes, after President Donald Trump reiterated his threats ⁠this week to strike Iran’s power and desalination plants. The letter particularly noted a mid-March comment from Mr. Trump where he said the U.S. may conduct strikes on Iran “just for fun.” It also cited comments from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth from ‌early March in which he said the U.S. does not fight with “stupid rules of engagement.”

Also read: Iran may be losing the battles, but it might still win the war

Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes on Friday ‌(April 3) that the military said had targeted militant “infrastructure” in Lebanon’s capital, as the U.S. warned that Iran may target universities in the country as the war in West Asia rages.